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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23437732">Baby Fever</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/KT1/pseuds/KT1'>KT1</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Burning Love [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Babies, Domestic Tarlos, Fluff, Loving Carlos, M/M, Nervous TK, Soft Husbands</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:07:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,129</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23437732</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/KT1/pseuds/KT1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>TK and Carlos have The Talk… about babies and starting a family. Thank you @starsignoutofwhack on Tumblr for the prompt!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Carlos Reyes/TK Strand</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Burning Love [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686025</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>133</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Baby Fever</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Completely exhausted from their spontaneous trip to Vegas and fucking getting married, TK and Carlos are sitting on the floor, propped up against the couch, eating takeout and watching trashy reality TV. Carlos is wrapped up around TK, his chest pressed against his hubby’s back as TK sits between Carlos’ legs. Carlos attempts to use his chopsticks to steal a dumpling from the container in TK’s hand, earning him a slap on the wrist and protests to stick to his own dinner.</p>
<p>Carlos just giggles, but he can tell something is up with TK. He hasn’t said much since they got home, and Carlos knows him well enough by now to know when something is making him anxious. He puts down his own food container and wraps his arms around TK’s waist, giving him a tight squeeze and pressing his cheek against his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Ty, are you okay? What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?”</p>
<p>TK puts his food on the coffee table and sighs, leaning into Carlos’ embrace. “Yeah… everything is fine. I’m just thinking.”</p>
<p>Carlos smiles into TK’s back and presses a kiss into the nape of his neck. “I know, cariño. I think I can actually hear the gears in your brain grinding away.”</p>
<p>TK chuckles before turning his head so he can get a good look at his beautiful husband. “I was just thinking about what my dad said today at the station. You know, about us having kids. I hope him saying that didn’t make you feel uncomfortable at all.”</p>
<p>Carlos shifts, turning TK around so that they are face to face. “I know we haven’t talked a lot about it, but I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. I mean, I know he was just messing around, but how do you feel about it?” Carlos is walking on eggshells. TK has been so much better about opening up and being vulnerable with him, but Carlos doesn’t want to push him too hard to the point where he shuts down. This is something they need to talk about eventually, and better to do it now while they are already on the subject. </p>
<p>TK’s face is unreadable. He is fidgeting, eyes down on his hands twisting in his lap. After what feels like forever, TK looks up at Carlos through his eyelashes, puppy dog eyes on full display, and in that moment Carlos knows he would give TK whatever he wants. </p>
<p>“I never really thought about it much before, not even when I was with Alex. It never seemed like we were at that point in our relationship, even though I almost asked him to marry me. I never thought I would be a good dad. I love my dad, and of course I know he loves me, but he wasn’t around all that much when I was a kid. The firehouse was his home, his crew was his family. I felt like the only way I could get his attention was to join the crew myself. My dad and I are close now, but I made it easier so he didn’t have to choose between his family at home and his fire family. I never wanted to put a kid through that.”</p>
<p>Carlos is being patient, eyes glued on TK’s and taking in every word. TK takes a shaky breath before continuing.</p>
<p>“But today, when my dad made that comment, I felt so much love for you, Carlos.” A smile spreads across TK’s face, his green eyes shimmering. “I didn’t feel scared, or even nervous. I felt fucking happy. I felt like there would be nothing that would make me happier than being a dad and having a kid with you. You know I love kids… I mean, I still go see Colt once a month to check up on him and to just hang out, build some Legos and stuff. But now, I am thinking how fucking much I would love our kid, Carlos. I know there would be a lot of logistics to straighten out, like whether we would adopt or have a surrogate, but I—”</p>
<p>Carlos cuts TK off by pulling him into a deep kiss, a slow and gentle kiss, like he has all the time in the world. When they finally pull apart to catch a breath, Carlos keeps his hands on TK’s face, caressing his cheeks with his thumbs, and he is trying (and failing) to keep the tears from his eyes, a soft smile on his lips.</p>
<p>“You, Tyler Kennedy, are going to make an amazing dad. You have such a capacity for love and kindness. You are always putting others before yourself, almost to a fault, but I love you all the more for it. I know that when it comes to our kid… Wow that is really weird to say, but I know that you would do anything for our kid, because that is who you are, Ty. You are someone who genuinely cares about others, and I am pretty sure that is the best quality a dad can have, right?”</p>
<p>Carlos takes TK’s hands, intertwining their fingers and holding his hands tightly as TK sniffles and holds back tears.</p>
<p>“I totally and completely want to have a kid with you, Tyler. I grew up with older sisters, and now that all of them are married and have kids, I have wanted that for myself, too. I love my nieces and nephews so much, but it is nothing compared to how much I would love our kid. I know that there is still a lot we don’t know about being dads, but I know together we will figure it out. We are a team… you’re my partner in crime, babe.”</p>
<p>TK wipes over his eyes with one hand and lets out an amused huff. “God what is happening to me? Now that I’m married I’ve turned into such a sap.” He chuckles and gestures to Carlos with a small smirk. “You’ve always been the sappy one,” he says, earning a light shove from Carlos, and they both laugh as they pull each other into a hug. “I know now that I want to do this with you, but as of when…” TK trails off, pulling back to read Carlos’ reaction.</p>
<p>Carlos shakes his head, gripping TK’s shoulders and locking eyes with him. “As much as I want to be a dad with you, we don’t have to do anything right now. We are still so young, Ty, and we have plenty of time. But I am so glad that I got to have this conversation with you, so we know that while it might not be happening right now, it is going to happen for us someday. Maybe even someday in the near future, and I cannot wait for that day, cariño.”</p>
<p>“God, how do you always know just the perfect thing to say to get me out of my head?” TK looks at his husband with total love and adoration. </p>
<p>Carlos leans in for a soft quick peck. “Because, Ty, I know you, and I love you. I feel like I have known you forever. You are a part of me, so when you need something, I know because it’s something that I need to.”</p>
<p>TK shakes his head as a light pink blush dusts across his cheeks. “Wow, how did I get so lucky to find you… to be loved by you?” </p>
<p>“I’m lucky to be loved by you, too, Ty,” Carlos breathes, “and one day, our kid will be so lucky to be loved by you.”</p>
<p>……….</p>
<p>One Year Later</p>
<p>When Carlos gets home from his shift, he can hear a commotion coming from somewhere deep in the apartment. He hears a loud bang followed by a string of expletives, and Carlos can’t help but giggle. “Ty, I’m home! What are you doing in there?”</p>
<p>TK comes running into the living room, hauling a newly purchased diaper bag around, throwing things in at random. “Carlos! Thank god you’re home. Kat just called from the hospital. She’s in labor.” </p>
<p>TK is practically vibrating with nervous energy. “I can’t believe this is happening right now. We are about to be dads, Carlos. Holy shit, we are about to be dads. Oh my god, we are not ready. Do we even have everything we need? Where’s the car seat? We are gonna need that… Diapers! We have enough, right? Oh god, what about the crib! Wait we put that together last week—”</p>
<p>“Tyler!” Carlos yells to get his attention in the midst of his frantic rambling and uses both hands to grab hold of his jaw, forcing TK to make eye contact. “Breathe, baby. You need to breathe. Take a deep breath with me.” </p>
<p>TK does as he’s told, inhaling slowly before letting out a shaky breath, and Carlos’ hands slide down TK’s neck to grip his shoulders firmly. “Okay, much better, now that I’m not worried about you passing out from hyperventilation… We’ve got this. We are going to be okay. Let’s finish getting everything together, and then we will go to the hospital to meet our beautiful baby, okay?”</p>
<p>Closing his eyes and taking another deep breath, TK nods and huffs out a breath, forcing a small smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He is still shaking as he says, “Yes, okay, let’s do that. Damn Carlos, how are you so calm right now? I’m freaking out a little bit over here.”</p>
<p>Carlos raises an eyebrow at TK and smirks. “A little bit?” </p>
<p>“Okay, okay, I’m freaking out a lot. This is just… so big. You would think I would be able to handle myself in high pressure situations but…” TK trails off as he drags a hand down his face. His eyes drop to the floor, and he whispers so low Carlos barely catches what he says next. “What if Kat regrets picking us? What if she regrets picking… me?”</p>
<p>The break in TK’s voice breaks Carlos’ heart. The idea that TK can even think something like that has tears stinging Carlos’ eyes. He softly takes TK’s jaw in between his thumb and his index finger, tilting his chin up so Carlos can look into his beautiful green eyes. </p>
<p>“Tyler Kennedy, you are going to be an amazing dad. I have absolutely zero doubts about that. Kat chose us because she saw in you the same things I see in you. Someone who is thoughtful, caring, selfless, and a million other important things. You always put others first, and protecting the people you love is your top priority. Kat wanted to choose the best family for her baby, and I truly believe that she couldn’t have chosen anyone better.”</p>
<p>There are tears trailing down TK’s cheeks. He brings one hand to his face to carelessly wipe at them as the other reaches up to wrap around Carlos’ forearm tightly. His eyes are wide, and he squeezes Carlos’ arm even tighter. “But I’m an addict, Carlos… What if I relapse? What if I put the baby in harm’s way because I can’t focus on anything but getting a fix?” </p>
<p>Carlos’ chest tightens, and it feels like someone is squeezing his heart and trying to rip it out of his chest. His first instinct is to try to lighten the mood, to try to get TK to see that Carlos would never let that happen. “Honey, I’m a cop. You think you’ll be getting any drugs past me?” he says with a smirk.</p>
<p>When TK doesn’t laugh or even crack a smile, Carlos continues, gripping onto TK a little tighter. “Hey, cariño, I would never let anything happen to you or this baby. You have been doing so much better; you’ve been sober for well over a year now. I know that doesn’t mean that you don’t have the intrusive thoughts or urges, but you are the strongest person I know. I can go to more meetings with you, if you want, and we can get in touch with your sponsor more often. You have been fighting this fight for a very long time, and it seems like every day it’s a little bit easier to win. If that’s ever not the case, just let me know and we will figure it out together.”</p>
<p>TK finally smiles as more tears fall down his face. “Wow, I really do have the best husband, and this baby is about to have the best father.”</p>
<p>Carlos brings his hands up to cradle TK’s face, his thumbs brushing away the tears. He pulls TK in for a kiss, soft and sweet, filled with hope and longing. “The best fathers, you mean. Now, one more deep breath. Let’s get going… we have a baby on the way.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you liked it! This is the result of a request I got on Tumblr! You can find this and more 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star content there @tkstreyes :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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